Friday, October 09, 2009

Leinster produced a more than convincing display against arch rivals Munster at the RDS last weekend, beating them 30-0 in this Irish heavyweights Magners League clash.

Yesterday we featured the stamp by prop John Hayes from the same match, but today we’ve got some highlights up for you after many requests.

The home side embarrassed the star studded reigning Magners League champions as they scored tries through Gordon D’Arcy, Brian O’Driscoll, and Shane Horgan.

Flyhalf Jonny Sexton outshone rival Ronan O’Gara as he scored 15 points with the boot while putting in another impressive personal display.

Munster’s Paul O’Connell has since insisted that the defeat will spur his side on for their first Heineken Cup clash, against Northampton Saints this Saturday.

"Everything needs to improve from last weekend. I think if it does, we have a good chance at the weekend.

"I think it will be a big motivation for us having had such a disappointing performance last Saturday. We did none of our basics well and that's the most important thing you do.

"Going away to Northampton and going away to Perpignan are going to be incredibly tough games, so we're going to be concentrating on getting out of our group first and foremost," he added.

The Heineken Cup kicks off tonight, with action all the way across the UK and Europe for the next few months. We’ll cover everything we can, but be sure to make notes and use our forum for requests. Every bit helps.

Glad this clip is up. Now I can ask a question here without worrying it's too off-topic...why is it Sexton is pretty much assumed to take over for O'Gara? Don't get me wrong, he's a great player and will only get better, but it makes me wonder that if Ulster were doing as well as Leinster, would Ian Humphreys be getting all this hype?

In a lot of areas, he's just as good and sometimes better than Sexton. In defense and in moving the ball up field, he's what you'd want out of a fly-half. Maybe the only area not on par with Sexton and certainly O'Gara (hell, it's O'Gara's only main strength) is in distance and place kicking. I mean, he's good...he's just not great.

Not living in the green little island of Ireland, I get my rugby news from here and what I see in the matches - so can anyone there tell me if there's any talk about Humphreys moving on to where his brother was a few years back as Ireland's fly-half? Or is it all just Sexton at the moment?

To the questions about Sexton, he is pretty much considered as the only replacement for O'Gara. He's the one that everyone is talking about, and since he plays for a very good team he gets more limelight and more big-game experience. Humphreys is good but he has been very poor at times in the past, and he makes a lot of mistakes and is quite a bad penalty taker and tackler. Sexton has pretty much every individual skill he needs, and most people would agree that he's becoming one of the best outhalfs around, whereas Humphreys is seen as good but no more. Plus there could be politics behind it since David Humphreys was a really anti-Irish person, and I would assume that Ian is the same.In conclusion, Humphreys really isn't in the running. It goes O'Gara, Sexton, Paddy Wallace, then maybe Humphreys or Keately.

it was eoin reddan, my guess is he thought they had advantage after the outrageous high tackle right b4 he kicked it so aimlessly away, especially seen as they had looked like it was only a matter of phases b4 they broke london irish's line!

I agree with the anon saying Healy and Sexton should be given a chance but O'Leary is still better than Reddan.

May I just say that it is only October and if any Irish team will win anything this season I think it will still be Munster. They know when to peak (besides last season obviously). I predict "les blues" will fade away after the new year.

1) BOD is a God! Anyone who does not recognize this once in a lifetime sporting genious is a fool. While scoring his try, he ran past a Springbok in DeVilliers, through a Lion in Earls and out paced an Allblack in Howlett(albeit Dougie had too much ground to make up).

Here's a thought... When he finally loses such a significant step that he cannot make an impact in the centers why not make the transition to flyhalf? His distribution is sublime, his defence is impenetrable, his foot is not half bad and his running with ball in hand is world class? I won't be submitting a thesis based on the idea but it is food for thought...

1a) He should have been the Captain for the Lions.

2) Sexton tackled the big London Irish centres quite impressively last night, I doubt the SA replacement would have had some easily for lunch as he did ROG in the 2nd test.

I'm not so sure O'Leary is all that much better than Reddan. What is it O'Leary can do? He's big, he can box-kick like nobody's business, and he can be aggressive on defense (being as he's rather big for a scrummy), but is there anything else? And does that make up for the fact that he delivers the ball at the pace of a snail?

Munster have great talent both in forwards and in backs, but the backs (esp. the outside backs) don't get used since the ball never gets there.

By the time O'Leary gets the ball out, the defense have already regrouped, had a tea break, and have filed their taxes.

If there was any way to combine Stringer (whose strengths are limited to how fast and to whom he delivers the ball) and O'Leary, then maybe Ireland would have a solid scrum-half. Until then, it's slow ball worked up the field by forwards.

I'll be the first to eat my words about O'Leary's performance in the Heineken Cup match against the Saints...he did well to get the ball out plus he was fired up in the attack. He made some good takes on the high ball and the try he scored showed he has good awareness on the pitch.

As probably discerned from the last post, I'm generally not a fan of his, but he did well to prove me wrong in this particular match.

Bob, Munster beat the scarlets a few weeks ago with a last minute try. The reason they scored that try is because O'Leary fired the ball to the outside backs so fast Hurley had a mismatch against a prop before Llenelli could re-organise their defence so I don't think the point you made a few comments above is accurate.

Also he is faster, stronger and generally has more about him I think. I'm not anti reddan or anything, I just think more can happen with O'Leary playing.

Don't forget Reddan isn't the fastest operator either. O'Leary has made up a considerable amount of time when you realise most of his rugby has been played on the wing or warming the bench, as Stringer was immoveable, rightly or wrongly, for so long.

I also think Mafi and de Villiers are too different to go together effectively. Mafi seems quieter and less dynamic since shifting out one. He's been subbed in his 3 outside centre games so far. On the plus, he hasn't been sin binned in a few games either.I hope I'm wrong and they gel. Tipoki and Mafi clicked from minute 1 though. The try they made and scored in their first game together against Glasgow in Sept '07 still gives me shivers.

Great win Leinster, bragging rights for now, but way to F it up against Irish. See, still the same old problem. All together now. Con sis ten cy.

Kearney for tests is going to explode soon if his man isn't picked, so will I for Ireland's sake. I mean what the hell has he to do? Nacewa is picked for his attacking ability and then they don't even use it.